PAM new member and political pioneer, Mohamed Benaïssa, has been elected President to Assilah Communal Council, upon earning 25 out of 30 possible votes, during the communal presidency elections held this Monday. Benaïssa’s election to the said position was not surprising due to several electoral and historical considerations, however, the fact that half of his council deputies were allegedly women (3 out of 6) was quite remarkable for some.
All 6 deputies were deemed PAM militants, thus reflecting the party’s dominance upon the September 8 elections, which earned PAM party 80% of Assilah’s communal seats, followed by UC party with 6 seats, and USFP with just 1 seat.
Benaïssa’s election reinforced the customary electoral context marking the city for decades, for the latter is considered to be the most prominent political and cultural figure within Assilah, regardless of his partisan affiliation. However, many claim that Benaïssa’s campaign during the September 8 elections as a PAM militant was quite surprising, provided his political background as one of RNI’s “founding fathers” alongside Ahmed Osman.
Benaïssa’s relationship with RNI party went through a dry spell when the latter obtained the worst possible results since its creation due to the alleged “managerial incompetency” of the north region’s leadership, thus causing Benaïssa to run his campaign as a non-affiliated nominee since 1992.
The tensions between Benaïssa and RNI increased when the party’s regional leadership sided with an elected member who had been convicted by the court, for drug trafficking.
Benaïssa is considered to be Assilah’s “Godfather” and main “front man”, who played an integral part in the radical changes the city has been knowing for decades, thus attracting one of the world’s most prominent cultural forums – the Asilah Cultural Forum – which is held annually, in the presence of prominent cultural and political figures from all over the globe.
It is noteworthy that Benaïssa served as Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1999 and 2007, at a time that was marked by the smooth transition of power from the late King Hassan II, to his heir King Mohammed VI. While in office, Benaïssa dealt with several regional and provincial conflicts, mainly the one relating to Morocco and Spain over the Perejil Island, in 2002.
Benaïssa has also served as Minister of Culture from 1985 until 1992.